City Of Milton: Council Signals Support For Development Of Most Ambitious FMCC Trail Plan

Press release from the City of Milton:

05/10/2021 10:09 PM

The City Council on Monday signaled its support for the most ambitious of five trails plans presented for the former Milton Country Club -- paving the way for eventually opening a large swath of that property after much anticipation.

The approach generally reflects approaches suggested in the Master Plan for the property that was approved in 2019, the year after its purchase by the City. The seven FMCC acres marked for "active" use have already seen considerable been busy with activity including the City Pool and Milton Tennis Center (while the clubhouse, after its upcoming renovation, could soon host recreation programs). Yet the property's remaining 130 acres has been closed to the public for safety reasons and while the City -- in coordination with neighbors and others -- sought ways to turn the former golf course into a more natural, bucolic setting for walkers and runners to enjoy. 

Late last year, the Council had asked City staff to solicit bids for five alternatives then present those costs for their approval before moving forward. That's what Acting Public Works Director Sara Leaders did Monday night, explaining the proposed prices for the options -- each of which built off the previous iteration. So the first was for phase 1A, the second for phases 1A and 1B, the third 1A and 1C, the fourth 1A+1B+1C, through the most complete bid proposal for phases 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D.

The Council ended up going with that last option.

They did so after Leaders detailed exactly what what each choice would entail in terms of the addition of new trail and removal of existing cart paths. You can view her presentation by CLICKING HERE.

Four companies submitted bids for all the options, with the lowest coming from Tri Scapes -- a known quantity in the City from helping maintain park spaces, among other duties. Its first four bids fell under the City's cost estimate. Only the fifth, at $969,478.32, came in slightly above though even that was about $700,000 less than the highest bidder for the same work.

Leaders noted that the City had sufficient funding for all the alternatives, with $1.3 million in the FMCC "passive" account for trail construction and a related hydrology study approved last month. 

Council members engaged Leaders with questions on everything from how the proposals different from the Master Plan to the utility of a pathway behind the tennis courts (leading a relatively minor suggested modification) to trail access points. Leaders noted the City's proposal to add 500 feet of fencing with a gate for maintenance access along the trail frontage, which led to discussions about signage and liability. There was also talk about perhaps revisiting at some point the possible need to have patrols or regular monitoring of the expansive property.

Member Paul Moore pressed about keeping Tri Scapes to its proposed 6-month work timeline, saying he'd "like to see something that holds them accountable." Leaders responded that such language could be written into the final contract (allowing for delays due to bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances).

Still, these discussions touched on key details but didn't challenge the overall framework of the presented plans. The Council's support means the effort can move forward with notifying neighbors, finalizing the contract, and ultimately beginning construction.

Prior to this discussion, the Council approved all items on its Consent Agenda including: 

• An agreement that could pave the way for a mid-week farmer's market later this year out of Broadwell Pavilion in downtown Crabapple
• A traffic analysis and concept development effort related to the intersection of 140/Arnold Mill Road and Green Road
• The demolition of a house on City-owned property on Hopewell Road roughly opposite Bethany Bend to allow for the creation of a new roundabout
• An agreement for Tri Scapes to construct a fishing pier, pavilion and ADA-accessible trail at Providence Park largely with State of Georgia grant funding 

This was followed by two proclamations related to the Milton Fire-Rescue Department's COVID-19 vaccine clinics. Milton firefighters began offering Moderna vaccines to those qualified in mid-April, with significant help from the individuals recognized Monday night. 

Few, if any, other fire departments had distributed vaccines until then (even though many firefighters, as paramedics, are qualified to do so) in part because of difficulty getting access to vaccines. Yet when the first approached Dr. Gichuki Kimani from ReVue Pharmacy -- the first man honored Monday -- to see if he'd partner with them, Kimani gave firefighters access to his vaccine and responded time-and-again to their requests for more.

The Mayor and Council also recognized Sundak Ganesan, an epidemiologist who works for the CDC, lives in Milton, and previously graduated from the Milton Fire Department's Community Emergency Response Team (or CERT) program. Ganesan volunteered his time and expertise by developing an important, time-saving, easy-to-use online tool to collect and process patients' information. 

A good deal of City efforts in recent and upcoming weeks has centered on the development of its 2040 Comprehensive Plan, with meetings and events seemingly every few days. Monday night was no different, with Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee Chair Todd Chernik joining City staff in giving the Council an update on recent developments. 

The 2040 Comprehensive Plan is a critical document that addresses the community's desires for Milton's future and what policies, projects and programs can help realize that ideal future. Community Development Director Bob Buscemi talked about Milton's eight "character areas," including the creation of what he called "sizzle sheets" for each one that showcase, in words and pictures, their distinct traits to "really capture visually what Milton is looking like."

This was followed by a presentation on future land use (which is about development patterns largely) and zoning (which is more what can be done specifically within a given category). CPAC has voiced support for developing "Urban Growth Boundaries" that could provide an extra level of protection beyond whether a property is on a sewer system to control high density development. As Chernik said, "Density is certainly a sensitive topic. We've heard it in all circles."

He then ran through a number of proposed "short-term work programs" that City staff could pursue out of the Plan. These include things like:

• Create a "Small Area Plan" for the Arnold Mill area
• Define projects and land acquisition costs for potential bonds specific to active parks, trails, public venues and greenspace
• Pursue Fortune 500 companies to make a home in Deerfield
• Consider innovations to reduce speed on Milton roads
• Develop a citywide solid waste strategy
• Conduct a branding study
• Incorporate public art throughout Milton

Chernik noted some turnover in CPAC and City staff since the Comprehensive Plan process began last summer, saying, "We haven't missed a beat. In fact, I think we have raised the bar."

CPAC's next meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. this Thursday, May 13, in Council Chambers. For more on that and other meetings, relevant videos and presentations, and more, go to www.cityofmiltonga.us/ComprehensivePlan.

Zoning Manager Robyn MacDonald later walked Council through a proposal to rezone a nearly 10.8-acre property at 13555 Blakmaral Lane to AG-1 so its owners can develop a winery there. The Planning Commission and City staff recommended approval on the condition that the property only contain a single residence and a barn structure-turned-tasting room and that the winery limit customer visits to 5 appointments per day and no more than 10 people at a time.

The applicant, Jim Rosenberger, described the effort as "more of a hobby type winery" and not a "major commercial operation." While all five neighbors within his subdivision support this effort, Rosenberger acknowledged that anything more ambitious than that was not feasible given the location. In fact, he expects to bottle off site and, if the winery grows popular, he'd plan to shift to somewhere else less disruptive.

"We don't want it to be bigger than that, not in this location," Rosenberger said.

The Council unanimously approved the rezoning request with the aforementioned conditions.

They similarly signed off on budget amendments presented by City Finance Director Bernadette Harvill.

The Council's next meeting is a "work session" -- meaning there will be discussion but no formal votes -- the evening of May 17.

This press release was produced by the City of Milton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.